


Don't mean much

by Hopeful_Foolx



Series: Whumptober 2020 [12]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Elias Being Elias, Elias is a dick, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Jon is a decent human being for once, Light Angst, Tears, This is soft you guys, Whumptober 2020, emphasis on the comfort, this is literally only sugar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:53:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27067450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hopeful_Foolx/pseuds/Hopeful_Foolx
Summary: Alternative prompt 7 - found family. Elias makes Martin cry, and surprisingly, Jon is not having it. Tim can't just watch.
Relationships: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist & Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood & Tim Stoker, how do i tag this - Relationship
Series: Whumptober 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945483
Comments: 6
Kudos: 103





	Don't mean much

**Author's Note:**

> Die from sugar please. I love Tim. But I also love Elias and he is a dick in this one. But anyway, this is pure fluff and not at all canon comliant.

“...so no, Martin, I do not think this will suffice. Especially if your translations are  _ this _ bad. Surprising, with your degree, I would think” Elias’ smug voice reached Tim when he was still on his way inside, and made him freeze in the doorway.   
  
“I-” Martin’s voice was just a choked whisper, Tim nearly overheard him.    
  
“Yes, Mr. Blackwood? Your language qualifications seemed exactly fine, on your CV, at least. Maybe I should give the good man, what was his name? Dr. Consen? A call. Since he wrote your letter of recommendation, I mean” Martin sounded panicked when he answered now, and Tim decided he heard enough already.

“Oh come on…” He mumbled and rolled his eyes - seriously? Was that seriously what Elias wanted to go with? Martin’s translations? What did that even have to do with him?! Did he now randomly check them just for… what? To annoy them? It was a regular occurence that he appeared down here, but he mostly just talked to Jon and left, or teased for a moment and did so then. But not like this. What did Martin ever do to him? None of them were actually qualified for the job, and yes, Martin maybe the least, but it wasn’t like it would make a difference. He was kind, and Tim was of the strict opinion that he at least enhanced his own work speed with the tea he made, probably that was for all of them. And after the whole debacle with the worms and him staying here- no. He liked Martin. Sasha did, too, and even if Jon was mean to him, he suspected that he at least thawed a little there after the incident. Or tried to, hard to tell with Jon. 

“You know, it makes me wonder, since I’ve been at the same university-” Enough was enough, he decided, but the same moment he finally moved, determined to cut in, someone else did. Someone, Tim would not have expected to. 

“Excuse me, Elias, is there a reason you’re keeping  _ my _ assistant from his job?” He couldn’t tell where exactly Jon came from, but he was suddenly standing there, certainly startling Martin at least.    
  
“Ah, Jon. Yes, indeed, I was looking through one of Martin’s reports and have to say, his translations-” Jon cut him off and Tim grinned, if it was a little proudly, well, nobody really saw, right?    
  
“Yes, I am well aware.” There was a big ‘end of sentence’ hanging after it, “I just do not understand why you are here about it” He spoke impatiently and Tim couldn’t help but enjoy it a little. It wasn’t like Jon to talk to Elias like this, or to talk back to anyone, really. Even though he had gotten the growing suspicion that Jon had a strict ‘nobody but me bullied Martin’ rule in his head.   
  
“Well, since he is your assistant…” He gestured around the desk but Jon just raised his eyebrows higher.    
  
“Yes, exactly, he is  _ my _ assistant,” Even as impossibly tiny as he was, he looked somewhat intimidating with his crossed arms. Tim hadn’t even noticed how he managed to get himself between Martin and Elias, so he was facing their boss and not the younger man behind him - red like a tomato and so tense Tim could see it from his standing point, “so you can let me deal with it. If you have a problem with how the archive is running or it’s efficiency, it would be wiser to talk to me, since I can give you an answer for it. Instead of distracting Martin from his work, which will not  _ help _ it at all” He heard Elias smile and his posture changed. He regretted that he couldn’t see his face, because if Jon managed to get this reaction out of him, it had to be priceless. But it was just neutral if somewhat firm when he turned around and unnecessarily straightened his suit jacket. 

“I’ll see you soon then, Martin. Jon” he still smiled that cold and toothy smile of his, “Mr. Stoker” Tim smiled back as sarcastic as he could and held the door open for him - but still shoved it closed as soon as Elias was through. 

“Okay what the fuck?” He exclaimed then, but nobody seemed to hear him. Martin had one hand over his eyes under his glasses, face scrunched up and obviously crying, and Jon was just pacing back and forth. He decided to check on Martin first. 

“Hey, he’s gone now. It’s okay” If he got a weak nod, it could have been mistaken for the shaking of his shoulders, but no answer and he didn’t stop crying either.

“...who does he think he is? Just… attacking my assistants, as if I am incapable of…” 

Okay. This was not how it would work. He squeezed Martin’s shoulder and kept his hand there in a comforting touch, before he sent a quick text to Sasha, who was still out on her break. 

“Guys!” He reached out to grab Jon’s arm, and the man immediately stopped and looked at his hand as if he momentarily forgot that Tim was attached to it. 

“Hey, can we all breathe for a moment? What just happened?” Martin, still red as a tomato and very obviously not looking at Jon, wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. 

“I don’t know,” his breath hitched, “he just walked in here, slapped the file on the table and told me I’d be…” he took a breath and it looked like he was about to really start sobbing, “He was considering if he made the right choice in choosing me for the archive, and for the institute at all and-” now he actually broke up, and his hand found its way over his eyes again. Tim caught his glasses before they could fall and wanted to point out what a prick Elias was, how wrong he was in what he said and did, but that Jon scoffed, held him back

“Because his abilities as a filing clerk were  _ so _ outstanding when he started here. It’s not our fault that Gertrude left this place like this, certainly not yours, Martin. If he wants better translations, he can do them himself, and yes, they are not perfect, but readable” Tim raised his eyebrows but Jon did not seem finished yet, he was too surprised to really look away. Sasha missed a party here, but she was on her way back at least.

“It’s faster that way than making them perfect and really, half of the schools and Unis don’t even teach latin nowadays, so he should be glad you know any at all. And apart from that, if  _ I  _ keep the translations like that, he should come to me and not bully you for it, I mean-”   
  
“Jon” His head snapped up and he looked at Martin who smiled with teary eyes and Tim rolled his eyes internally. Jon didn’t know Martin had a crush on him, but like this? It was a miracle that he hadn’t already developed one himself. 

“Thank you” 

“I mean, It was-” he cut himself off, redder than Martin now, “I was-” Tim chuckled. and wished he hadn’t the next moment. It was a cute one and he should have kept quiet to let it play out - now two very red faces looked at him. 

“Okay, listen. Both of you. Martin, Elias is a prick. His brain is probably as silken as his shirts at this point, or oxygen deprived from keeping his tie too tight or something. I’d rather have you here than some guy who may do perfect Latin, but whose tea tastes like shit, okay?” If possible, Martin turned even redder. 

“Jon, seriously - you should get like this more often” He began to splutter again, but was saved by Sasha walking in, holding a paper bag in both arms. The puzzled look on his face was priceless and Tim clapped his hands. 

“Okay everyone, break room” She nodded as if she was a soldier who had just been given a very important command, “You too, Jon,” He added, “no complaints. We’re having muffins and there is no way around it” he pulled Martin up from his chair and handed him his glasses back, before he gently pushed both of them forward. 

  
  
  
  


Half an hour later, Tim exchanged coffees with Sasha and looked around. Carefully breaking apart a muffin like it was an art, Jon was telling Martin something - whatever it was, he couldn’t hear but judging by how Martin looked at him, he could have talked about how to fold paper and he wouldn’t have noticed. Sasha next to him grinned. 

“What?”    
  
“Nothing, I only asked myself why we are not always like this” He shrugged, 

“We should be” And it was not like they weren’t. Jon standing up for Martin had been a first, but Tim had taken a sick Jon home on multiple occasions, Sasha brought Martin breakfast down here every morning. Jon left water in the kettle for Tim’s coffee. He noticed the tiny reminders of who they were, undoubtedly, Martin noticed them too and cataloged them in his mind, he had figured out how Jon liked his tea after two days, pretty much a record. And Jon, for as unobservant as he seemed, had been the one leaving cough drops at Martin’s desk - apparently annoyed by his cough, but he was maybe fooling Martin, not Tim. They figured out their quirks and small patterns in behavior, and for one short second, Tim wanted to keep the moment as it was. Locked in a snowglobe, like a photograph. Martin and Jon next to each other, both smiling and with still pink cheeks. Sasha grinning and holding his coffee. And himself, just happy with the small space they carved for themselves, for one moment, in an endless sea of a world in which nothing mattered in the long run. 

“Hey, Stoker, your coffee is too sweet, I want mine back” he had a reply on his tongue, but took the scene in one last time. They should be like that. Always.


End file.
